Van Winkle\'s 13y (and older) rye

I have this from a trusted source and it has been posted on another whiskey forum. Nevertheless, I hope Julian sees and confirms it:

The legendary Van Winkle 13 yr old rye is no more. Finished.

And what's left on the shelves is actually much OLDER than the 13 years stated on the label. Apparently, the 13y rye was all made in 1985 and has been bottled now for the past five years. But now it's gone.

Which means that if your liquor store has recent stock (2002), that whiskey is really 17 years old. The 2001 bottles are 16 years old, and so on. Only the '98 edition was 13 yo at time of bottling.

So be a pal. Grab what's still left on the shelves, pack securely and send it Priority Mail to me here in Florida. Thanks guys! Your generosity leaves me speechless.

Re: Van Winkle\'s 13y (and older) rye

I hope your source wasn't just extrapolating, knowing that new bottlings have been released. It's possible that all of the 13-year-old was dumped at the same time expressly to prevent additional aging, but is only being bottled as needed.

All I know is that I bought a bottle recently for my dad and need to get one for myself. It's damn good stuff.

By the way, when I was home over Father's Day I noticed that Dad's liquor stock looked pretty depleted. He blames evaporation. Also, the scamp poured a bottle of Mattingly and Moore blended whiskey into an empty Maker's Mark bottle, just to see if my brother and I would notice. We did.

Re: Van Winkle\'s 13y (and older) rye

Did it work, Chuck? Oh I've posed the question too soon. Being a father myself there are things that one does from time to time to the hapless offspring . Did you and your brother , good sons that you both no doubt are , set about to get the old man's liquor stocks replenished and in order so that he will not have to pull that again?

Re: Van Winkle\'s 13y (and older) rye

Re: Van Winkle\'s 13y (and older) rye

Count your blessings, friends. I wish I had me a little brother. If I tried that stuff on my little sister, she'd go buy some good whiskey, send ME the bill and then bill me $50 an hour for her time buying the jug. And tell me that at $50 I'm getting a family discount rate. They're a cruel, hard bunch, these little sisters.

Back OT, I just bought some last month, but I'll pick up an extra bottle of VW 13 Yr. Rye this weekend. This stuff's too good to see it all disappear from the shelf.

Re: Van Winkle\'s 13y (and older) rye

I bought a bottle at Sam's last week and there was only one more left on the shelf, but I choose to believe that doesn't mean anything.

Last night I poured some of this rye into a snifter and let it sit for awhile. Not deliberately, but I was doing something else. When I finally sat down and raised it toward my face, the aroma almost knocked me out, but in a good way. As a rule, I have not been that crazy about ryes. Old Overholt, WT Rye, and Beam Rye all seem to have a muddy taste. I don't mean that as a metaphor. I mean they taste literally like mud. The Van Winkle is completely different, rich, deep, spicy, sweet. In short, great. I'll keep buying it as long as I can.

Re: Van Winkle\'s 13y (and older) rye

Chuck,

Yesterday, while in a Knob Creek fog, I set aside my concerns about the cost overrun in my whiskey budget and ordered the ORVW 13 rye from Sam's (along with a few other things, if only to keep the shipping carton from being unbalanced ).

Let's hope that 1) they are able to fill my order, and 2) they can restock afterward. (Is there anything worse than finding a new favorite after they have stopped making it?)

I've been slowly getting acquainted with Old Overholt during the last couple of months. All I have noticed is the zingy contrast to the bourbons I've tasted lately (not counting Old Grand Dad, which seems to bear a family resemblance). I am surprised at your reference to a muddy taste. (I know mud; I grew up in the riverbottom country of extreme southern Illinois, home of the aptly named Big Muddy River. )

I assume that you have tasted ryes for many years, perhaps before the field dwindled to its present sparsely populated condition. Is the muddy taste associated with ryes of the past as well as those of the present? Or does ORVW represent a return to former glory for a misunderstood spirit?

Re: Van Winkle\'s 13y (and older) rye

I don't have a personal memory bank of many more ryes than are on the market now. The heyday of rye was before even my time. My dad, however, says he remembers rye whiskey tasting like rye bread, which he also likes. He likes the Van Winkle best of the ones I have gotten for him. Unfortunately, so do my brother and I, and we have to be careful about depleting his supply.

Re: Van Winkle\'s 13y (and older) rye

I just joined this discussion group last week. I was also in Louisville last week, but didn't read this thread until I was back home. :-(

Fortunately, I had picked up two bottles last week. But, after reading this thread, I called my sister in the Louisville area. Yesterday, she picked up three more bottles for me. :-)

I also had her pick up a couple extra liters of Buffalo Trace. When I first drank this bourbon on the rocks, I didn't like it near as well as Elmer T. Lee Single Barrell. But, after I got home and put it in a snifter, I liked the bourbon much more.

Right now, all the bottles are on the way back from Louisville to WV with my parents (who were visiting Louisville last week as well). The goods are ready and waiting for me next time I visit my parents.